


Bad Dad Steve

by thundercaya



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 08:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1544429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundercaya/pseuds/thundercaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Did you know that your brain doesn't process memories from the last few minutes before you fall asleep?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Dad Steve

Steve wasn't really one to take up more space than he needed--and was sometimes inclined to take up less space than that--but when his wife was away he saw no reason not to take up the entire bed. When Janice came into her parents' bedroom in the middle of the night, she found Steve's foot first, and he barely refrained from kicking her as he woke with a start.

"Steve, it's me," Janice said.

"Zha-neese?" His nickname for her. He squinted at her, though it was dark enough not to matter that his glasses were on the nightstand. "What are you doing up?"

"I had a nightmare," she explained.

Steve made room and patted the bed. "Well, come on," he said. "Let's hear it."

Janice climbed into the bed and clutched her mother's pillow. Steve didn't hold her--she wasn't his kid in that sense, it didn't seem appropriate--but he touched her hair, and she relaxed and started talking.

"I was on an island," she said. "I don't know how I got there, but there were lots of cool things to play with and lots of fun stuff to do. There were other kids there, and they told me that when I was ready to go home, all I had to do was grab a big balloon and it would take me back over the water. I played for a long time and I really liked it, but then I wanted to leave. I went to where the balloons were and the other kids were taking four or five of them each, and the only ones left were too small to pick me up. I was stuck there and I was never gonna see mom again." She waited for a response from Steve, and when she didn't get one she spoke again. "Are you asleep?"

Steve was drifting in and out, admittedly, but he'd caught most of it. "No, I'm awake," he said. "So you were stuck on the fun island, and even though you liked it, you wanted to come home because you were sad without your mom. Right?"

"Mmhm."

"You probably had that dream because you miss her. She'll be home from the convention soon, so don't worry about that. Also, if you ever _did_ get stuck on an island, or anything else like that, we'd come looking for you, and we'd find you. All right?"

"All right," Janice said softly.  "Um... I... miss you, too, Steve. When they take you away. Mom says you'll always come back, but I don't know."

"Your mom is right," Steve said. "Don't worry about me." He yawned. "Sorry kid, I'm barely hanging on here. You can stay if you want, but we both need to get some sleep."

"Okay," Janice said. "Thanks."

"Uh huh."

"Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah, Zha-neese?"

"Tomorrow's the last day for me to sell my Girl Scout cookies."

"Okay," Steve said. "We'll take care of it."

In the morning when he woke up, Steve couldn't remember why Janice was there.


End file.
